DITOR’S CHOICE IN IMMUNOLOGY The paper A.-C. Villani et al., “Single-cell RNA-seq reveals new types of human blood dendritic cells, monocytes, and progenitors,” Science, 356:eaah4573, 2017. Hiding, not seeking Dendritic cells and monocytes, essential pathogen-sensing immune watchdogs, fall into subtypes based on factors such as cell surface markers. But according to genomicist and immunologist Alexandra-Chloé Villani of the...
Category: <span>Immunology</span>
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Flu breakthrough: A one-shot vaccine that protects for LIFE is on the horizon after scientists discover it is possible to stop the virus travelling through the nose and reaching the lungs
Scientists have discovered cells in the nose that stop flu reaching our lungs These cells, called Trms, protect against many strains of the virus Flu’s chameleon-like nature forces scientists to constantly make new vaccines Yet the Trm cells in the nose could ‘outwit the virus’, Melbourne scientists say Paves way for new vaccine providing long-term protection against...
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Researchers uncover new instruction manual to repair broken DNA
Petri dish with yeast colonies survived DNA breakage by Rad52-guided inverse RNA strand exchange. Drexel University and Georgia Institute of Technology researchers have discovered how the Rad52 protein is a crucial player in RNA-dependent DNA repair. The results of their study, published today in Molecular Cell, reveal a surprising function of the homologous recombination protein...
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Anorexia nervosa has a genetic basis
Anorexia nervosa often occurs in combination with other psychiatric and metabolic disorders . A large-scale, international whole-genome analysis has now revealed for the first time that anorexia nervosa is associated with genetic anomalies on chromosome 12. This finding might lead to new, interdisciplinary approaches to its treatment. The study was led by the University...
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Scientists Light the Way for Immune System to Attack Cancer
The science behind harnessing the immune system to fight cancer is complicated, but a University of Rochester Medical Center laboratory discovered a simple, practical way to use light and optics to steer killer immune cells toward tumors. In a study published by the online journal Nature Communications, lead author Minsoo Kim, Ph.D., a UR professor of Microbiology and Immunology and a Wilmot Cancer...
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A World First CRISPR Trial Will Edit Genes Inside the Human Body
IN BRIEF The CRISPR process will be used inside the human body for the first time on July 15th to combat HPV, which impacts millions of people worldwide. And this is just one of a huge amount of proposed CRISPR studies occurring soon. UNINVASIVE CRISPR A new CRISPR trial, which hopes to eliminate the human papillomavirus (HPV),...
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Immunological Functions of the Omentum
Trends VAT-associated Tregs are a transcriptionally and functionally unique population of Tregs that regulate immune responses and metabolic processes in adipose tissues, including the omentum. ILC2 cells are found in adipose tissues like the omentum, where they regulate local immune responses and adipocyte metabolism. The omentum is a well characterized site of ovarian cancer metastasis,...
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Gene therapy could ‘turn off’ severe allergies
A single treatment giving life-long protection from severe allergies such as asthma could be made possible by immunology research at The University of Queensland. A team led by Associate Professor Ray Steptoe at the UQ Diamantina Institute has been able to ‘turn-off’ the immune response which causes allergic reaction in animals. “When someone has an...
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One gene closer to regenerative therapy for muscular disorders
A detour on the road to regenerative medicine for people with muscular disorders is figuring out how to coax muscle stem cells to fuse together and form functioning skeletal muscle tissues. A study published June 1 by Nature Communications reports scientists identify a new gene essential to this process, shedding new light on possible new therapeutic strategies....
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Genetic sequencing could influence treatment for nearly 3/4 of advanced cancer patients
A new analysis finds that nearly three-quarters of 500 patients with advanced cancer could be referred to a potential targeted treatment based on the results of a comprehensive analysis of their tumor’s genetic landscape. The study suggests the value of so-called next generation sequencing, a sophisticated method of evaluating the DNA and RNA of a...